


When a Dream Dies

by ImpyTricky (rychuu)



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Oumota, oumasai, saimota, saiouma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-08 20:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20841536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rychuu/pseuds/ImpyTricky
Summary: Kaito returns home early from a six month space mission after a freak accident that leaves his arm broken, but worst of all, his dream completely destroyed.





	When a Dream Dies

Coming back to earth was surreal.

While Kaito had mentally prepared for it after he was… _ discharged, _to put it lightly, it was still surreal to feel the pull of gravity drag down his hair, his clothes, everything. If not for the mandatory exercises that had to be done while in the station, Kaito was sure his body and muscles would be intensely suffering from the change.

He was disorientated, to say the least.

Careful to cradle his broken arm, Kaito rubbed the back of his neck after stepping foot off of the plane. First it was the spacecraft getting him to the earth, then a helicopter to the airport, and then an airplane back to the city… He never thought it would ever happen, but a large part of him was glad to have his feet on the ground for more than a few minutes.

Aside from that, there were two other reasons why he was glad to be home.

He found them waiting for him, already they grabbed his luggage and were waiting for him near the exit. Kokichi was the first one to notice him, eyes wide and anxiously looking around the terminal for him, and he could see Kokichi tense up slightly when his eyes fell on him. Before Kaito could even think to say hello, Kokichi was already rushing over to him. “Kaito!” He had called out, panting as he finally stopped in front of him, only for a moment before he threw his arms around Kaito. Somehow, he was able to avoid his injured arm.

There were dark circles under Kokichi’s eyes, and his skin was void of any color. “Finally…! Me and Shuichi have been waiting for hooours! What took you?”

Kaito sighed, glancing away. “Sorry. The airplane got delayed twice…”

Naturally, Shuichi had joined them soon after, his face just as sleep deprived as he expected, rolling the luggage over with a relieved smile. “Kaito… it’s so good to see you.”

Shuichi was a bit more hesitant, and Kaito saw his golden eyes fall onto his cast. Though he said nothing of it, and gingerly wrapped his arms around him all the same. “We missed you. It’s good to see you safe.”

The words made Kaito go rigid, and guilt alongside grief bubbled in his chest. With how tired Shuichi looked, and how on edge Kokichi was, he couldn’t help it.

After all, their worry was his fault to begin with.

“Is it true what the news said?” Kokichi started, blunt and careless with his words as ever. “That you’re banned from space for saving that woman?”

“_Kokichi,” _Shuichi whispered harshly. “Not now.”

“No, it’s fine, it ain’t like it matters in the end,” Kaito assured, though he pulled away to rub the back of his head again. “Yeah, I got ‘banned from space.’ I broke protocol, and ‘cause I can’t follow direct orders, they decided I wasn’t ‘mentally able to continue being an astronaut’.”

It hurt to admit, after so long of studying and working towards his dreams, that his dream was cut so short, so soon. He had only gone on one space mission and lasted about six months before an incident occurred.

In a way, Kaito felt like an idiot.

“I’m so sorry, Kaito…” Shuichi murmured, and sympathetic tears formed in his eyes.

“That’s soooo dumb!” Kokichi declared, his annoyed tone only scratching the surface of the true rage he surely felt on Kaito’s behalf. “If you hadn’t done what you did, that woman would be dead in the vacuum of space! So what if you had to break a few rules to save her? What were you supposed to do, let her die?”

Kaito’s stomach dropped. It was a hard thing to swallow, the fact that his dream was crushed by such a bitter reality. A reality that suggested that saving a person’s life was the wrong thing to do.

Still, he managed to force out a shrug. “Eh, it doesn’t matter. I can’t be trusted, apparently, so that’s just how it is.”

Shuichi’s gaze fell, and his lips pursed together as they landed on Kaito’s arm again. A reminder of the dangerous situation he put himself in. A desperate last resort to saving someone’s life.

“Well, I’m just gonna have to get my subordinates to have a not so friendly word with those space assholes,” Kokichi threatened. “No one’s allowed to ruin my Kaito’s dream just ‘cause he’s a better person than the rest of them!”

“It’s fine, really.” Kaito was tired of it, of the whole situation. “I don’t really wanna talk about that anymore, okay? I just kind of want to get home.”

And maybe get some good old fashioned tender love and care from his boyfriends, but he didn’t need to say that out loud.

Shuichi nodded quickly. “Of course. I’ll go get the car. You two can wait at the curb.”

“Okay! We'll be waiting, Shuichi!” Kokichi chirped, though not too long after Shuichi headed out side, Kokichi grabbed Kaito’s luggage and started rolling it. “Well, come on! The sooner we get home, the sooner I can kiss you all over your face. I’ve been soooo lonely, you know! I mean, not _ really _lonely, ‘cause Shuichi was there of course, but you’ve been gone for sooooo long!”

As Kokichi walked along side him, however, his voice lowered, and his gaze as averted. They stopped at the curb, now waiting for Shuichi to get the car. “I really missed you… and when the whole accident thing was on the news, I was really scared we lost you, you know?”

Kaito saw a glimmer of tears in Kokichi’s eyes, and even more guilt hit him. “Yeah, I… I’m sorry, for worrying you two so much.”

Kokichi didn’t answer. Instead, he turned back to Kaito, his expression looking miserable. “… I really, _ really _ missed you. Shuichi missed you, too. We really missed you.”

Seeing such an open, honest expression pulled Kaito in, and he wrapped his good arm around him. “I know. I missed you, too. I missed the both of you so much. I kept thinking about you every god damn second I was up there.”

Things fell silent for a while before Shuichi finally pulled up with the car, and popped open the trunk to start loading up Kaito’s luggage. Though he had to do most of the work, seeing as Kaito was injured and Kokichi would only hurt himself if he attempted to join him in his endeavors. Instead, he decided to wait in the car while Kaito waited outside. Just in case Shuichi ended up needing his help after all.

Finally, after closing the trunk, Shuichi sighed and wiped his brow. He turned to Kaito with a smile, and when Kaito attempted to return it, Shuichi’s had fallen into a frown.

“Kaito…” He started, though he bit his lip in hesitation before continuing; “I know… I know how much this all meant to you, and—and I’m very sorry… I’m so sorry…”

“Hey what are you apologizing for?” Kaito huffed, before resting a hand on Shuichi’s shoulder. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Plus… I don’t want any of my dreams to be built off of the lives of others. I’d rather be on earth like this than be up there knowing I could’ve saved someone and didn’t.”

“Kaito…”

Shuichi couldn’t follow up with anything, not verbally at least. In the end, he gently pulled Kaito into a hug, strong and gentle and warm all at once. The contact was reassuring and comforting, and Kaito cherished the seconds they stayed together like so.

“Heeeey! Shuichi, I want cuddles too! You can’t hog Kaito all to yourself!” Kokichi interrupted eventually, whining through a crack in the window. “Come oooon, we can cuddle him when we get home!”

With a small series of laughter and a roll of their eyes, both Kaito and Shuichi piled on into the car, and Shuichi drove them all the way back to their apartment. Up the elevator, down the hall, and into the door that lead to home sweet home.

As Kokichi and Shuichi bantered with one another about the subject of dinner, however, Kaito noticed a small vase filled with flowers sitting on the desk sitting next to the door. There was a card with his name on it attached to the flowers with a string.

_ “Thank you for saving her life. - The Minami Family.” _

Kaito recognized the name immediately—Chiyoko Minami, the name of the fellow astronaut that would have died in space if he hadn’t gone to save her. A warm, fuzzy feeling filled up his chest and devoured any grief he felt over the loss of his dream.

In the end, no dream would have been worth sacrificing someone else’s life—and clearly, he wasn’t the only one who thought so.


End file.
